Many bag machines have been designed including many to fill bags. In many cases such bag filling machines have been slow and cumbersome in operation. In others it has been difficult to fill certain types of bags, especially multi-layer bags such as multiple layer paper bags of the pinch-bottom type. Such bags might have a length of 24-30 inches (63-76 cms.) and in the past they have been aligned at a bag opener and filler by orientating from the bottom of the bag. In many cases total length of the bag varies as much as 0.25 inches (0.635 cms.) and this has meant that the later sealing of the bag is often defective. Many such bags have an adhesive already applied on the inside face of the longer side of the bag which longer side is folded over and then the adhesive is activated to effect a seal. If too much or too little of the long side is folded over, the adhesive seal can be defective. Where finely powdered material or foodstuffs are being packaged, this can either leak out or vermin may creep in to thus be a defective bag.
In many of the prior art bag filling machines the bag could be orientated improperly and still the machine would attempt to fill the bag, thus achieving an improper seal when the bag was subsequently closed and sealed. Many of such prior art machines were also only a single station machine which was inherently slow in operation because first, the bag had to be put into position; second, it had to be opened; third, it often had to be raised to a filling position; fourth, it had to be filled; and fifth, it had to be moved on to a closing and sealing station. These many functions at one location resulted in a slow and cumbersome machine. Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to obviate the many disadvantages of the prior art machines.
The problem to be solved is to achieve a rapid acting and positive bag filling machine.
Another object of the invention is to provide a multiple station bag filling machine whereat the separate functions of the picking up of the bag, opening the bag, and filling the bag may be accomplished at different physical stations.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bag filling machine whereat the bags are properly orientated before they are opened.
Another object of the invention is to provide a bag filling machine whereat improperly orientated bags are rejected and the bags are properly oriented before they are attempted to be opened and filled.